Interpretation Intern – ONSITE – First State National Historic Park

Start/End Dates: May 25 2026 August 10 2026 (11 weeks)
Compensation: $688 per week
Medical Insurance: Not provided
Application Due: March 1st 2026

The Latino Heritage Internship Program seeks to engage young professionals in natural resource careers. Applicants must meet the following additional requirements:

• Be a U.S. citizen or legal resident
• Be between the ages of 18 and 30 or up to 35 if a veteran
• Be willing to undergo a background check upon hiring
• Have a valid drivers license and a good driving record
  

Note: A personal vehicle is required for this position.

Position Description:
First State National Historic Park seeks to expand bilingual services and strengthen relationships with local Latino communities particularly visitors who frequent the Brandywine Valley picnic area. This unit receives roughly 1000 visitors per day during peak season many of whom are Spanish-speaking. Building on three years of successful LHIP and bilingual park ranger engagement this internship will advance the parks outreach interpretation and stewardship goals.

Project Goals

• Improve bilingual interpretation and communication to meet the needs of Spanish-speaking visitors
• Deepen community trust by continuing outreach with Latino-serving organizations
• Foster a stewardship ethic that encourages care for Brandywine Valley resources

Responsibilities

• Provide bilingual (EnglishSpanish) interpretation and visitor services at First State National Historical Park with a focus on the Brandywine Valley picnic area
• Engage Spanish-speaking visitors through interpretation informal conversations and visitor orientation in high-visitation settings
• Develop and deliver bilingual interpretive programs and stewardship-focused activities
• Conduct outreach and build relationships with local Latino-serving organizations and community partners
• Support park goals related to outreach interpretation and resource stewardship
• Create bilingual written content including social media posts event descriptions and interpretive materials
• Assist with planning and coordinating bilingual programs events and outreach activities
• Foster a stewardship ethic among visitors by promoting care for park resources
• Support visitor engagement in outdoor environments including picnic areas trails and public events
• Collaborate with park staff and partners to strengthen bilingual services and community trust

Qualifications

• Major studies relevant to this position include Interpretation Environmental Education Public History Museum Studies Communications Public Relations or Marketing Sociology Anthropology Ethnic Studies or Latin American/Latino Studies Spanish Translation or Interpretation Studies Linguistics or a related field
• Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish (spoken and written) with the ability to translate ideas clearly and accurately for public audiences
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills including the ability to initiate conversations listen effectively and engage visitors from diverse cultural backgrounds
• Writing skills for drafting bilingual content including social media posts event descriptions and interpretive outlines
• Cultural competency and sensitivity especially when working with Latino communities and multicultural audiences
• Basic research skills including gathering information from reliable sources and synthesizing it into visitor-facing content
• Customer-service mindset with the ability to provide clear friendly visitor orientation and respond to questions
• Organizational and time-management skills to track tasks meet deliverable deadlines and support event coordination

Strengths That Support Success in the Project

• Creativity in designing engaging bilingual interpretive programs
• Adaptability and problem-solving skills especially in outdoor or high-visitation settings
• Enthusiasm for public service and stewardship
• Comfort working in outdoor environments including picnic areas trails and public events
• Initiative particularly when creating new programs or outreach materials
• Collaborative mindset essential for working with partners and park staff

Physical/Environmental Expectations

• Ability to stand for extended periods walk short distances on trails and work outdoors in summer conditions
• Ability to work in hot humid climates and adhere to all park weather and safety protocols
• Comfort interacting with large crowds in busy public spaces

Learning Goals

Professional development is a core component of the LHIP experience at First State National Historical Park. At the beginning of the internship the supervisor meets individually with the LHIP intern to identify one to three specific career goals they hope to achieve within the next five years. Together they create a tailored development plan that aligns the interns interests with meaningful training opportunities mentorship and on-the-job experiences. This individualized approach ensures that the internship supports both immediate project success and long-term career progression.

The LHIP intern will have access to a variety of regularly offered trainings including:

• Operational Leadership (decision-making teamwork and risk management)
• SLOW De-escalation Training (visitor communication and conflict resolution)
• Content Management System (CMS) Training (digital publishing and web content skills)
• Social Media Training (audience engagement messaging strategies and digital accessibility)
• Mountain Bike Skills for Trail Monitoring (field-based resource awareness and safety)

These trainings build a foundation of technical interpersonal and digital communication competencies essential for careers in interpretation education resource stewardship or public engagement.

In addition to internal training opportunities the LHIP intern will gain broad exposure to partner organizations including nonprofit municipal and state agencies working in conservation recreation and community engagement. Through collaborative projects and networking the intern will learn how different agencies function identify varied job roles within the public lands sector and expand their professional connections.

By combining structured mentorship skill-building coursework and hands-on experience the internship will support the LHIP intern in:

• Building confidence in bilingual communication and public engagement
• Strengthening digital media and interpretation skills
• Understanding diverse career pathways within and beyond the National Park Service
• Developing a personal sense of stewardship and leadership in conservation

This comprehensive approach equips the LHIP intern to emerge from the internship as a capable communicator an informed resource steward and a future leader in public service or community-centered conservation.

About the Site

First State National Historical Park is located in northern Delaware and southeastern Pennsylvania. The region is at low elevation with generally flat terrain. Summers are typically hot and humid with temperatures ranging from the mid-70s to the upper 90s. The park is situated near several well-developed communities including Wilmington Newark Bear and New Castle all of which offer easy access to grocery stores hospitals pharmacies and other essential services within a 1015 minute drive.

The area is also home to vibrant and growing Latino communities particularly in Wilmington and New Castle where Spanish-speaking residents businesses and community organizations are well established. These neighborhoods provide excellent opportunities for culturally relevant engagement and outreach.

Delawares central location on the East Coast offers convenient travel to major citiesapproximately one hour to Philadelphia two hours to Baltimore two and a half hours to Washington D.C. four hours to New York City and six hours to Boston. Public transportation including regional rail service connects Delaware directly to many of these destinations. Additionally the states tax-free shopping makes it a practical place for interns to purchase necessities outdoor gear or professional attire.

Interns in this program will receive 480 hours toward Public Land Corps (PLC) Hiring Authority. See below for more information.

Public Land Corps Non-Competitive Hiring Authority (PLC)
The Public Land Corps Non-Competitive Hiring Authority is a special hiring authority available to qualifying interns. The intern must be between the ages of 18 and 30 years old inclusive or a veteran up to age 35 and complete 640 hours of work on an appropriate conservation project to be eligible for this hiring authority. Upon successful completion of the PLC project(s) the intern is eligible for two years to be hired non-competitively into a federal seasonal term or permanent position. The applicant must apply to a PLC-eligible position advertised on and selected off a non-competitive certificate of eligibility. For more information see DOI Personnel Bulletinsand 17-03.

EEO Statement

Environment for the Americas provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employmentand prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race color religion age sex national origin disability status genetics protected veteran status sexual orientation gender identity or expression or any other characteristic protected by federal state or local policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment including recruiting hiring placement promotion termination layoff recall transfer leaves of absence compensation and training.